Gov. Bruce Rauner, on March 31, issued an executive order consolidating the state's Human Rights Commission with the Illinois Department of Human Rights ( IDHR ).
The move was among many departmental consolidations Rauner ordered that same day, and, according to a press release, was aimed at expediting anti-discrimination casesresolving a case takes on average about four yearsand would save about half a million dollars in the first year.
IDHR investigates human-rights complaints, while the Commission adjudicates them. IDHR has a limited timeframe within which to conduct investigations, but cases often become elongated once they are turned over to the Commission, according to IDHR Director Janice Glenn. She told Windy City Times that the consolidation would make IDHR's resources available to the Commission in order to speed up their backlog; the Commission employs about 20 administrative staffers.
"They now have cases going back years," Glenn said. "… That is unjust. People who wait normally don't have resources to go through the courts. They're relying on the Commission to hear their case. It's not fair to them, to not get due justice, in terms of having their case heard. Our department is bigger and has more resources."
Glenn was not yet able to say whether any affected staffers would lose their jobs thanks to the consolidation, but she said the order was largely "an administrative fix addressing a critical need."
The current chair of the Commission is Rose Mary Bombela-Tobias, who said in the March 31 statement, "Illinois has a rich history of strong civil rights protections and this transition will allow our unified agency to fully realize its mission of protecting our residents from unlawful discrimination. I look forward to working with IDHR and our Commissioners on strengthening our ability to assist those who work with our agency."
Glenn said she thought the order would bring about swifter justice for Illinoisans who most needed it.
"This consolidation is going to help the people of Illinois rely on justice and have their case heard in a timely fashion," she said. "It [should] give hope to people who don't normally have access to that."
Openly LGBT Commission members include Aon executive and Howard Brown Health Board Chair Duke Alden and Personal PAC CEO Terry Cosgrove.